1. Field of the Invention
The present venture relates to targets and targeting systems and, more particularly, to an archery targeting system and method incorporating an archery bow and related target indicia facilitating training and improved accuracy in the use thereof.
2. History of the Prior Art
The use of upstanding padded targets in conjunction with archery bows dates back into technological antiquity. Bales of straw, cotton and other fibers have, in the past, served as such target structures. These target assemblies may be covered with a burlap, paper or other fabric to both contain the fibers as well as provide an aesthetically pleasing surface upon which a target indicia may be applied. Typically, the target indicia for an archery system includes a concentric circle array commonly referred to as a "bulls-eye."
The use of "bulls-eye" indicia has become wide spread in conventional times. Such indicia of this type is found on printed paper which may be placed on walls, boxes, bales and other target areas for use with a variety of weapons. When the weapons include firearms, the use of a targeting scope is a possibility. Scopes often incorporate optical lenses and cross-hairs in the construction thereof. The cross-hair affords the user the opportunity to determine vertical and horizontal alignment in the targeting process. The cross-hair design has, in fact, been used for decades in establishing target alignment for weapons of many varieties. It is obviously a more difficult task to provide such a cross-hair design for archery systems, although attempts have been made.
Archery targets of today may be formed of new, light-weight materials. One such target sold by the assignee of the present invention includes high-density polyethylene foam with pivotal leg braces to facilitate use. The target face generally comprises the conventional concentric bulls-eye design referenced above. While effective in establishing the degree of accuracy of the user relative to deviation from intended "dead center," the bulls-eye design is not particularly effective in establishing a direct deviation correlation between vertical and horizontal axes. Archery bows are today constructed with targeting systems such as alignment sights. Sights may include adjustable devices allowing some degree of alignment of the arrow being fired. In this manner, archery bows can be utilized with a much higher degree of fun and accuracy. It is also useful in archery targeting to align the archery sight with the target area and know the exact deviation from the original sighting for purposes of training and subsequent targeting. Since cross-hair designs of substantial size are not available for archery bow sights, or when manually sighting from the arrow tip when no sight is available, it would be an advantage to incorporate an inexpensive, large cross-hair indicia in the archery targeting system and/or process for enhancing the accuracy thereof.
The present invention addresses the problems of the prior art by providing an enlarged, cross-hair indicia for effectively simulating a cross-hair sight from an archery bow for archery targeting by utilizing a full target surface having a color emphasized cross-hair indicia displayed directly thereon. The colored cross-hair indicia may also include a conventional bulls-eye displayed in a central region thereof while cross-hairs extend outwardly therefrom for direct utilization in conjunction with the archery bow sight. A textured face may also be used to reduce glare.